Housing data for Ottawa, IL
Ottawa, IL has an estimated 18,447 residents and 8,217 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in LaSalle County.
30.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $920 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 18,447 (±584)
- Housing units
- 8,217 (±343)
- Households that rent
- 30.3%
- Median gross rent
- $920
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −1.8%
What stands out in Ottawa
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 11.0% (±2.4 points) in Ottawa, higher than in LaSalle County (6.3%).
Rental vacancy rate: 0.1% (±0.2 points) in Ottawa, lower than in LaSalle County (3.9%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 22.2% (±3.3 points) in Ottawa, higher than in LaSalle County (17.8%).
Median real estate taxes: $4,011 (±$331) in Ottawa, higher than in LaSalle County ($3,418).
- Types of homes in Ottawa
- Vacancy rate in Ottawa
- How long people stay in Ottawa
- Property taxes in Ottawa
Housing in Ottawa at a glance
- Median rent: $920 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $951 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 48.8% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 30.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $71,413 median household income
- Home values: $154,000 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,469 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,011 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 11.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 51.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 69.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.1% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 84.3% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 22.7 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 245 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −1.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 22.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Ottawa against LaSalle County, its state and the nation
| Ottawa | LaSalle County | Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 18,447 (±584) | 108,714 (exact) | 12,694,798 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 8,217 (±343) | 49,843 (±57) | 5,457,452 (±471) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 30.3% (±3.7 points) | 25.6% (±1.4 points) | 32.9% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $920 (±$38) | $928 (±$24) | $1,274 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $71,413 (±$9,059) | $73,045 (±$2,890) | $83,390 (±$362) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $154,000 (±$8,162) | $161,900 (±$2,651) | $263,300 (±$797) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,011 (±$331) | $3,418 (±$90) | $5,298 (±$22) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 69.4% (±6.7 points) | 70.1% (±2.5 points) | 63.4% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.7 minutes (±2.3) | 26.0 minutes (±1.1) | 27.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 84.3% (±3.5 points) | 87.4% (±1.1 points) | 90.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 39.8 years (±4.1) | 42.2 years (±0.3) | 39.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Ottawa covers 14.9 square miles of land, about 1,238 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Ottawa has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 18,792 (±430) | 18,447 (±584) | −1.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 9,139 (±282) | 8,217 (±343) | −10.1% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $819 (±$37) | $920 (±$38) | +12.3% | Down after inflation |
| Median home value | $128,000 (±$6,118) | $154,000 (±$8,162) | +20.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $51,288 (±$5,084) | $71,413 (±$9,059) | +39.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,192 (±$50) | $1,469 (±$110) | +23.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,206 (±$204) | $4,011 (±$331) | +25.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 39.8% (±3.3 points) | 30.3% (±3.7 points) | −9.5 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.8% (±3.3 points) | 0.1% (±0.2 points) | −3.7 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Ottawa
In 2025, the Ottawa Police Department reported 245 violent and 1,236 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Places near Ottawa
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Township | 2.9 mi | $911 | $139,500 | 30.0% |
| Naplate | 3.3 mi | $1,019 | $135,600 | 34.3% |
| South Ottawa Township | 3.6 mi | $935 | $169,500 | 24.2% |
| Rutland Township (LaSalle County) | 4.4 mi | $887 | $226,400 | 21.8% |
| Fall River Township | 4.5 mi | — | $243,200 | 7.5% |
| Dayton Township | 4.7 mi | $1,024 | $254,800 | 19.7% |
| Wallace Township | 5.4 mi | — | $249,600 | 4.3% |
| Grand Ridge | 8.2 mi | $1,023 | $158,700 | 14.9% |
Places in Illinois most like Ottawa
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maroa | $851 | $126,800 | $72,500 | 29.0% |
| Fondulac Township | $915 | $162,900 | $74,478 | 25.1% |
| East Peoria | $886 | $163,500 | $71,833 | 24.3% |
| Blackhawk Township | $940 | $138,800 | $65,414 | 24.7% |
| Dixon Township | $918 | $132,900 | $64,245 | 32.3% |
| Collinsville | $1,038 | $163,600 | $67,612 | 34.0% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Illinois.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Ottawa, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $733 | $804 | $1,052 | $1,369 | $1,688 |
HUD income limits for Ottawa, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $21,050 | $35,000 | $56,050 |
| 2 people | $24,050 | $40,000 | $64,050 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $45,000 | $72,050 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $50,050 | $80,050 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $54,050 | $86,500 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $58,050 | $92,850 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $62,050 | $99,300 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $66,100 | $105,700 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the La Salle County, IL, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $105,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Ottawa
What is the average rent in Ottawa, IL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Ottawa is $920 (±$38) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Ottawa?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Ottawa, IL is $661 (±$117) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Ottawa rent-burdened?
48.8% of renting households in Ottawa pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Ottawa?
Ottawa has an estimated 2,290 (±289) renting households, 30.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Ottawa?
The median household income in Ottawa is $71,413 (±$9,059) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Ottawa, IL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $154,000 (±$8,162) for owner-occupied homes in Ottawa (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Ottawa growing?
In Ottawa, the number of residents went from 18,792 in 2015–2019 to 18,447 in 2020–2024 (−1.8%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ottawa city, Illinois
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: La Salle County, IL
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: La Salle County, IL
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Ottawa Police Department (ORI IL0500700)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Ottawa city, Illinois (place:56926, in state:17).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .